Lockheed L-1011 incident near St. Louis, Missouri, June 11, 1985
On June 11, 1985 at about 4:04 pm local time, a Lockheed L-1011, registered N31013, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Louis, Missouri (St. Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 219 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1985 · about 4:04 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · St. Louis · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 219 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011
- Registration
- N31013 · registry record · serial 193B-1035
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN IFR APPROACH TO LAND AT STL AND THE PLT INITIATED FLAPS. THE NO.3 OUTBOARD FLAP VANE SEPARATED FROM ITS MOUNTING AND FELL TO THE GROUND. UPON SEPARATION THE FLAP VANE STRUCK THE LEADING EDGE OF THE TRAILING EDGE FLAP KNOCKING A HOLE IN THE SKIN. THE SUBSEQUENT LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL. EXAMINATION OF THE FLAP VANE ATTACH FITTING REVEALED IT FAILED IN FATIGUE FOLLOWED BY AN OVERLOAD SEPARATION. THERE HAVE BEEN 14 RECORDED CASES OF FAILURE OF THE FLAP VANE ATTACH FITTINGS WITH 9 REPORTED SEPARATIONS FROM THE AIRCRAFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,195 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 270
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB-211-22 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 1:15 pm
- Destination: STL St.Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:18 pm from STL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 213 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N31013 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.